1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to portable road signs. More specifically, the present invention relates to barricade signs and roll-up signs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Road signs are useful in alerting, informing, directing, or diverting motorists as well as pedestrians to avoid or pass safely around hazards, obstacles, work zones, and so on. In addition to standard roll-up warning and informational signs, many road sign designs exist.
For example, a portable and compact retrorefloective sign system disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,115,951 and issued to Jing et al. includes a base, a winding mechanism roller attached to the base, and a retroreflective roll-up sheeting having a first end and a second end. The first end is attached to the roller and the sign is wound about the roller.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,887, issued to Seely, discloses a portable sign system with a frame member for mounting a sign and a means to allow the sign to pivot or swing under side-wind loads by action of a resilient portion of the stand.
These and other prior road sign designs, although very useful, are not particularly easy to carry, nor are they suitable for storing in places where space is limited, for instance, in the trunk or cargo area of a vehicle. Furthermore, most existing designs lack the capability to withstand strong wind, for example, over 10 mph. Non-collapsible ones have an additional drawback of possibly causing greater damages to pedestrians, vehicles and/or other properties when hit by a car or blown over by wind.
Therefore, although many prior designs exist, there is a continuing need in the art for a compact portable road sign providing maximum visibility, high safety, substantial versatility, and strong wind resistance. The present invention addresses this need.